Beach Balls Bounced From Parade; Other Safety July 4 Safety Measures Planned

CHATHAM – Spectators looking forward to getting a beach ball at the town’s July 4 parade may want to start breathing exercises now, because they’ll have to blow the toys up themselves.

 Mahi Gold, which has been handing out beach balls at the parade for 15 years, will be handing out deflated beach balls this year after members of the town’s Independence Parade committee raised concerns about the safety of giving out inflated beach balls.

 “It’s like an accident waiting to happen,” said committee chair Steve DeBoer. “It was causing problems and concerns, mainly for safety.”

 Although no incidents have occurred related to the clothing shop’s handing out of beach balls from a large float, owner Becky Voelkel said she understands the concerns, given the estimated crowd of more than 40,000 people who line the parade route, many of them children eager for giveaways.

 “No doubt we’re disappointed,” she said. “The parade is one of the highlights of our summer. We love seeing people happily grabbing beach balls.”

 In past years, Mahi Gold’s parade team has blown up 3,000 beach balls to give out. This year a fraction of that number will be inflated and kept securely on a float while marchers will hand out deflated beach balls.

 “We certainly hope the crowd understands that this is a safety thing, not having balls bouncing down the street,” she said.

 DeBoer said both committee members and public safety officials concurred that someone could get injured chasing a beach ball during the parade. Many participants hand out candy, fliers and other items during the parade, but he pointed out that parade rules prohibit throwing anything into the crowd.

 In May the committee voted to prohibit beach balls altogether, but after meeting with Voelkel last week the group agreed to a compromise allowing Mahi Gold to decorate its float with inflated beach balls but limiting the handouts to uninflated ones.

 “There was no way we were saying, sorry Mahi Gold, see you later, you can’t be part of it,” committee member Wendy Upson said at the June 9 session. “We want you to be part of it.”

 “It was really all about safety,” DeBoer said afterwards.

 The parade is important to Mahi Gold, Voelkel said, because the shop got its start when they handed out invitations in 2008 to a trunk show at her grandparents’ house to introduce the clothing line.

 “Being a part of the parade has always been woven into the fabric of who we are as a business,” she said. “It’s our favorite day of the summer.”

 DeBoer said he hopes other participants will pay attention to the parade rules. “We’re going to keep our fingers crossed” and keep a close eye on the route, he said.

 Overall, safety concerns are playing a major role in this year’s parade planning. Recent incidents at large public gatherings like parades in other parts of the country prompted the town’s public safety agencies — including the police, fire, emergency management and public works departments — to develop detailed plans around the parade and the fireworks planned for July 2 at Veterans Field, said Police Chief Michael Anderson.

 “Some the public will see and some the public will not see,” he said, declining to go into detail about security measures being put in place. 

 Other communities have canceled large events because of a lack of security personnel, he said. “I don’t think we’re there yet, but we’re getting pretty close with this parade,” he added, noting that both crowd control and traffic on July 4 are challenges for the town’s police department. Parking restrictions and road closures will be strictly enforced.

 “If you need to get somewhere before the parade or fireworks, get there early,” he said. “Plan ahead.” Parking restrictions and traffic details will be posted on the town’s social media and website and published in The Chronicle prior to the parade.

 The parade route is also being slightly extended this year so that it ends at the corner of Crowell Road and Lake Street, rather than at Tip Cart Road. Many parade participants park at the Monomoy Middle School, DeBoer said, and extending the route will encourage vehicles to continue on to the middle school to discharge passengers. 

 Voelkel said her discussions with the parade committee have highlighted for her how understaffed the parade is. “I don’t think the community of Chatham recognizes what an effort it takes to put on this event for 40,000 people, and it is put on by five people,” she said. Dozens of volunteers also help out on the day of the parade as parade marshals, but more people need to step up if the event is going to continue, she said.

 She also urged parents to keep an eye on their children during the event. While the parade is an exciting and fun time, especially for kids, the stream of trucks, antique cars and other vehicles can be hazardous.

 “At the end of the day, keeping the kids off the road is of the utmost importance,” she said.